This invention relates to packet networks and, more particularly, to performance management and control of such networks.
A packet network, like the one shown in FIG. 1, comprises routers and links that interconnect the routers. More particularly, the network comprises backbone routers such as routers 11–15, access routers such as routers 21–23, and customer routers such as routers 31–34. A backbone router is a router with all incoming and outgoing links coupling the router or to one or more other backbone routers, and perhaps to one or more access routers. Access routers, as the name implies, provide access for customer equipment to the network. The customer equipment might be a computer, a customer router, or even a network of customer routers.
The speed of the FIG. 1 network can be quite high, supporting transmission in the Gbps range; but for purposes of this disclosure one can think of network 100 as a more modest network, employing routers that are wholly electronic rather than a mixture of electronic and optical components.
The links shown in FIG. 1 are duplex links. That is, each line in FIG. 1 that connects two routers (e.g., line 101 that connects routers 12 and 13) comprises a first path that carries packets from a first router to a second router (e.g., from router 12 to router 13), and a second path that carries traffic in the opposite direction (i.e., from router 13 to router 12). A duplex link can consist of two unidirectional connections, or one bi-directional connection.
The FIG. 1 network also includes an analyzer system 110 that is coupled to the routers, an administration controller 120 that is connected analyzer 110, and an administrator terminal 130 that is connected to controller 120. System 110 receives traffic information from the routers, reduces the data through analysis to create summary information, and sends the summary information to controller 120. From this summary information, controller 120 determines whether there are congestion spots within network 100. Controller 120 also maintains a database of the service-level agreements (SLA) that the provider of network 100 has with various customers of the network and, based on the SLA information and the summary information, controller 120 determines whether the service requirements of customers are met. When it is found that the network is congested, or when it is determined that the service agreements are not met, information is communicated to a network administrator at terminal 130. In response, the administrator manually fashions a modified configuration file for one or more of the routers, and downloads the modified configuration files.
The deficiencies of this approach are that it is slow, error prone, and requires knowledge and expertise on the part of the administrator at terminal 130 that only few people posses. It is desirable to automate the task of modifying the configuration files of routers.